Title

Undergraduate Departments

Food Science, Nutrition and Management

Graduate Departments

Master of Arts in Policy Studies

Education

B.Sc. in nutrition (honors), King's College, London University

Ph.D., University of Leeds

Biography

Cathy Davies joined the DelVal faculty in August 2011 after teaching for three years at Gloucester County Community College and for eight years at the University of Delaware. Her teaching focus is on food science and nutrition. She is also enthusiastic about student research.

At Gloucester Community College she played a major role in starting the associate’s degree program in food science. She also served as coordinator of that program. At University of Delaware she was responsible for bring a more student-centered and problem-based learning environment into the food science program. In addition, she collaborated with colleagues in applied mathematics to link a food chemistry course with an advanced applied math course.

As a researcher, Dr. Davies is a food chemist who has published research articles on the reactions that occur in food during processing and storage. In particular her research focuses on the kinetics of the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for flavor and color formation through the reaction of reducing sugars (glucose) and amino acids. The Maillard reaction is a non-enzymatic browning reactions and is responsible for the color of toast and baked products, the aroma of meat and the loss of vitamins B1 and C. She is also interested in the physiochemical properties of food ingredients. For example, how starch behaves to cause bread to stale and how flaxseed meal can be used as an egg replacer and shelf-life extender.

Dr. Davies is a member of The Institutes of Food Technologists, and The American Chemical Society, and when she is not teaching at DelVal, enjoys playing with wool by knitting and spinning, and she also sings in a local choir.